Teens between the ages of 13 and 20 are invited to dance
to benefit local, as well as international causes. The 2006 Dance-A-Thon
will benefit the programs and services of the American Red Cross of
Central New Jersey, which assists victims of local disasters, delivers
meals to the homebound elderly, helps to maintain a safe and steady
blood supply to area hospitals, and trains community members with life
saving skills such as CPR and First Aid. Ten percent of the net proceeds
will benefit the Measles Initiative, an international program created to
reduce measles deaths.

Participating dancers earn ten hours of community service and the chance
to win prizes. Dancers are asked to meet sponsorship requirements. No
dance skills are required – only the endurance to last the full seven
hours on the dance floor. Interested dancers can register online at
www.njredcross.org. The Dance-A-Thon is open to the public with a $5
Admission Fee at the door. So come cheer on the dancers and enjoy the
food, DJ, live bands, and more – all while helping others locally and
across the world. For additional information about participation, or if
you are interested in sponsoring a dancer, contact Joyce Gorsky from the
Red Cross at 609-951-2123.

American Red Cross of Central New Jersey Youth Services integrates young
people of all ages into the delivery of our services to the
community-at-large through meaningful volunteer opportunities. Through
involvement with area Red Cross Clubs, students develop leadership
skills that will enable them to continue to be productive citizens as
adults. The Central New Jersey chapter has 965 Red Cross Club members in
high schools throughout our service area. For information about Red
Cross Youth Services and how you can get involved, contact the chapter
at 609-951-8550.

Launched in February 2001, the Measles Initiative is a long-term
commitment to reduce and control measles deaths globally. The Initiative
is led by the American Red Cross, United Nations Foundation, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and the World Health
Organization. The global goal is to reduce measles deaths by 90%
globally by 2010 compared to 2000 estimates. Since 2001, the Measles
Initiative has mobilized more than $150 million and supported more than
40 African countries in implementing high-quality measles vaccination
campaigns. Largely due to the technical and financial support of the
Measles Initiative and commitment from African governments, more than
200 million children in Africa have been vaccinated against measles and
1 million lives have been saved. Measles cases and deaths have also
dropped by 60% since 1999, thanks to improvements in routine and
supplementary immunization activities in Africa. Because of the Measles
Initiative's success in Africa, the program has now expanded its
activities into Asia where the measles burden remains high. The Measles
Initiative will heavily focus on the three countries that account for
the majority of global measles deaths: India, Pakistan and Nigeria. For
more information about the Measles Initiative, visit
www.measlesinitiative.org.